I Remember
by ShadowedNara
Summary: AU 3x19. One-shot. "... the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it." Klamille. The way things should've been.


_**Klamille feels have been hitting me hard after re-watching the end of season three, so I hope you enjoy this AU one-shot I wrote of s3x19! This is the first time I've ever written something like this, so please let me know what you think! Enjoy!**_

 **Disclaimer: I don't own the Originals. If I did, this scene I wrote wouldn't have needed to be an AU fanfic.**

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 **I Remember That it Hurt** by ShadowedNara

XxX

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Cold. Lifeless. Unfeeling. Dead.

I remember that it hurt, associating those words with Camille. For someone that had always been anything but, she was so very dead; and it _hurt_ , far more than meagre words could ever aptly hope to express.

" _It's funny… even though we're so different, I feel like I've always known you. Maybe it's because I've been in your mind… or maybe that's just how you know you love someone."_

" _... I do love you, you know."_

" _... I thought you were gonna tell me that tomorrow…? I really don't have another tomorrow,_ _do I…? The noise, the people, will—will you make it go away?"_

I remember that it hurt, bearing witness to the raw fear in her eyes. Struggling so desperately to be the brave bartender I knew her to be, yet failing so spectacularly; and it _hurt_ , the reality of her fears haunting.

" _Klaus, what's—what's that? What's happening?"_

" _Your heart is slowing, but it still beats. You're fighting, because you want to live."_

"… _I wanted to be brave… I wanted to handle this with dignity, but I—I can't. I—I don't wanna go, I'm so scared…"_

I remember that it hurt, watching her beautifully-wide eyes well with tears. Her breaths, sharp-shallow hitches that slashed at my core; her humourless laugh, a choked sob that tore at my heart; and it _hurt_ , the memory forever burned into my already-fractured psyche.

" _When I said I was ready to die, I was f-full of it. Oh I just wish I had done more than serve a few drinks, and fail completely as your t-therapist—"_

" _Don't you think for a moment, that you failed me! You stayed my hand… quelled my rage… you inspired goodness in me. And unlike all of the souls I've encountered and forgotten in the long march of time… I will carry you with me."_

" _... I guess that makes me immortal."_

I remember that it hurt, my part as spectator affording me an unimpeded view of her despair. Her eyes half-lidded, sparkling with sorrowful-adoration; the set of her smile, resigned in its peacefulness; and it _hurt_ , the look of defeat on her face reflected on my own.

" _Do you remember… the bible verse on Sean's headstone?"_

" _... the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it."_

" _I was never naïve enough to think that… I was your light. But there is light—in you. All of that anger, the cycle of abuse that Mikael began—you can end it. You have to… so you can be the light for your little girl… for Hope."_

I remember that it hurt, cradling her limp body against mine with shaky hands. Her eye-lids sagging as her breaths grew faint; her breaths growing fainter still as her eyes slid shut; and it _hurt_ , knowing that any attempt to delay the inevitable was simply an act in futility.

" _Do not be afraid. You go now, where many have gone before you… and where even I will go, in time. Just know… there will be no more pain, no more heartbreak. You. Will. Find. Peace."_

I remember that it hurt, whispering lies not even I myself believed as she took her final breath. Her body stilled against mine as I spoke sweet nothings that were immeasurably hollow; and it _hurt_ , the magnitude of things left unsaid heart-breaking, my final words spoken nothing more than empty promises.

Tears spilled from my eyes unbidden, impacting softly with the gentle curve of her desiccated cheek, and I remember that it _hurt_.

More than any petty wound I'd sustained during the span of my existence, it _hurt_.

More than any abuse I'd endured at the hands of my twisted parents, it _hurt_.

It _hurt_.

"Oh Camille… to think yourself naïve enough _not_ to believe that you _were_ my light… always and forever…"

"… do you remember, the bible verse on Sean's headstone?"

Eyes wide and mouth incapable of formulating words, I stared in shock and incredulity at the sudden absence of desiccated skin, the impossibility of it all rendering me motionless.

Yours eyes were green, green as the day I met you. Your cheeks and lips were rosy, dusted with a tinge of red as I felt the blood flow through your veins, as I heard your heart thump rhythmically in your chest.

You looked tired, so very tired, but so very _alive_.

I swallowed, tears pooling in my eyes anew as I entwined my fingers between yours. I swallowed once more, tears rolling down my cheeks as I squeezed your hand in desperation. I swallowed a final time, choking down a sob before it could tear itself from my throat.

"… the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it…"

You squeezed my hand in just as much desperation, and my heart immediately skipped a beat, fearing for the worst.

But then you smiled at me. That brilliantly toothy smile that had my heart skipping yet another beat, an unquestionable feeling of butterflies fluttering aimlessly in my stomach. A single thought came to mind: always and forever.

And this time, I meant it.

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"You're doing that crooked-smile thing again. Still such a charmer."

"You know I've always had a flair for theatrics Camille. Besides, I happen to know how much you love it when I do this 'crooked-smile thing'. And you can roll those beautiful green eyes to your heart's content, you know it to be true."

"Okay, story time's over. Time for bed Romeo."

"I love you Camille, always and forever."

"I love you too, Klaus. Always and forever."

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 _ **Shamelessly listened to Terrible Love by Birdy on repeat as I wrote this. Thanks for reading!**_

 _ **If anything seemed a little confusing or vague, the idea I had was that Klaus' tears cured the venom from the wolf bite. Sounds very cliche, I know, but I just finished watching Tangled with my little sister.**_


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